FA loops together

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amps88

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During my years as an electrician, I have not done that much with Fire Alarm systems. Is it permissible in a Class A system that the in and out conduits from two different loops be next to each other? I know there must be distance if it is the same loop. Thanks for any input you can give me.
 

gadfly56

Senior Member
Location
New Jersey
Occupation
Professional Engineer, Fire & Life Safety
During my years as an electrician, I have not done that much with Fire Alarm systems. Is it permissible in a Class A system that the in and out conduits from two different loops be next to each other? I know there must be distance if it is the same loop. Thanks for any input you can give me.

Yes, it would be acceptable. Consider an SLC loop and a couple of notification appliance loops originating at the FACP, say, in a sprinkler riser room at one end of the building. As long as the returns were suitably separated they could occupy the same conduit (manufacturer's installation manual permitting). We had to do this when we came in at the tail end of a 3-year government job, and the Army Corps of Engineers didn't have an issue with it.
 

amps88

Member
Yes, it would be acceptable. Consider an SLC loop and a couple of notification appliance loops originating at the FACP, say, in a sprinkler riser room at one end of the building. As long as the returns were suitably separated they could occupy the same conduit (manufacturer's installation manual permitting). We had to do this when we came in at the tail end of a 3-year government job, and the Army Corps of Engineers didn't have an issue with it.

Thanks--this is also on the SLC loop--government project and the Electrical QA with the Corps keeps hinting there should be at least 12in separation. Have a rack of 16 conduits--first 8 are coming in--other 8 going out--the 2 in the middle (an in and out) are together but one is the 'in' loop for loop1, the other the out loop for loop 8. I'm pretty sure this is what she is looking at because everywhere else they are across a hallway from each other.
 

gadfly56

Senior Member
Location
New Jersey
Occupation
Professional Engineer, Fire & Life Safety
Thanks--this is also on the SLC loop--government project and the Electrical QA with the Corps keeps hinting there should be at least 12in separation. Have a rack of 16 conduits--first 8 are coming in--other 8 going out--the 2 in the middle (an in and out) are together but one is the 'in' loop for loop1, the other the out loop for loop 8. I'm pretty sure this is what she is looking at because everywhere else they are across a hallway from each other.

You are also allowed to run everything pretty much together for the first 10 feet in/out of the panel, so there shouldn't be an issue in any event. See NFPA 72-2007 6.4.2.2.2, Exception.
 

gndrod

Senior Member
Location
Ca and Wa
I can recall using twisted pairs for magnetic cancelling on military projects were acceptable at one time with no space constraints. Depends on contract requirements i believe, but for damage redundancy, this may be another factor.
 
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